Friday, March 28, 2014

Perceptions

It’s a simple truth that we often forget: other people don’t necessarily share our views and ideas. Another person’s perception of things won’t necessarily resonate with yours 100% of the time, and that goes double for the people you think are “supposed” to agree with you. Your best friend, your children, your spouse, your coworker or your boss… it’s subtle some times, and more obvious at others, but the fact remains that whatever the dissonance between two people’s views, its people’s perceptions that vary. And coming to an agreement can often depend on whether you can manage to recognize and respect where another person is coming from with their thinking, whether you actually agree with their thinking or not.

What I mostly do in my private therapy practice is called “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.” That is to say, that what I think determines how I feel and how I act. How I perceive the world determines the world I create for myself.

For us all to coexist and maintain relationships, we have to understand this, and try to respect the differences in our individual perceptions.

The important word here is respect. We don’t have to agree in order to understand and respect another person’s unique perspective. It is important to realize that respecting another person’s perception of things does not mean that we have to change or alter our beliefs or perceptions… but it will make communication far easier.